Chapter Text
Alex Levy [9:35 pm]: Are you awake?
Me [9:37 pm]: Isn't it almost 1 am in NYC?
Alex Levy [9:40 pm]: Can't sleep.
Alex Levy [9:40 pm]: Are you busy?
“ Maggie? ”
“ Sorry. I can't find my glasses. ” as soon as the words got out of her mouth she heard a giggle on the other side of the phone and she pictured perfectly those soft lines showing up on Alex's face. She had noticed them, well― among everything else, when she met her again, after the two decades she spent trying to avoid seeing that face, and there was no reason to deny that age suited her very well.
“ I fear I have reached an age at which I can't text without them anymore. ” she joked, with the only intention of hearing her laugh again. She had missed it so much and now that she had been blessed again with that beautiful, almost divine, sound, it felt like she couldn't get enough of it.
“ What are you up to, old lady? ”
“ You know me, ” or maybe she didn't, but she was learning to. During the past few weeks they had tried to keep in touch as much as they could, finding some time out of their busy - and messy, especially on Alex's side - lives, to get to know each other again, finding out how much had changed, but also how most things had stayed exactly the same as they were twenty years before. “ I'm having a glass of wine after dinner, nothing much. ”
And maybe Maggie was getting used to this. Having Alex back in her life on some level, including her in daily routine, without noticing how easily they fell back into a pattern that someway felt like a reminisce of their past, but at the same time it was something entirely new for both of them. She was getting used to hearing her constantly complaining about her new co-anchor― and to remind her that she was the one who picked her. They could talk for hours. Alex asked her a lot about her book but there were some topics they were very cautious about avoiding. They never spoke about Jason, or better, the lack of Jason in Alex's life and the reasons she was still wearing his ring, even if she claimed that their relationship was long over. There were a few times in which Alex mentioned her daughter and Maggie suddenly felt painfully aware of the lives they both had built in all the time they spent away from each other, but hearing Alex's pride in her voice when she was speaking about her was enough to stop Maggie from letting her know that she still wasn't ready to hear about it. Maggie's dating life was also on the off-limits topics list, mostly because of Maggie's choice to keep it away from her. Maybe in the future there would've been space for it but it was too soon for her to share it with Alex.
“ Busy day? ”
“ I had a meeting with my publisher. I feel like the book is coming out exactly as I intend it to be. ”
Maggie was writing an exposè about Hollywood's dirt, digging deep into the long history of sexual misconduct and working behind the scenes of what led to the birth of the #MeToo movement. She had often wondered if she had still lived in NYC, she would have written something about what happened at UBA and with Alex's former co-anchor and how she would have dealt with Alex being indirectly involved in the scandal. She felt lucky that she didn't have to answer that question.
“ I'm sure it is! ”
“ You have to read it to know if it's good. ”
“ And yet, you still haven’t let me read anything from it, Brener. ”
“ I promise you will be the first one to see the book when the first draft is complete, Levy. ”
“ Now you promised it, you can't take it back! ”
Maggie laughed. It was nice to hear Alex's voice more relaxed, considering everything that was going on around her. Most times their late night conversations revolved around work, it felt like the easier way to stay away from dangerous territories, but most times talking about their work lives wasn't meant for light-hearted chats.
“ What are you wearing? ”
“ Sorry, what?! ” she was caught off guard by the question, not exactly what she expected to hear from her.
“ I asked you what are you wearing. I need something to distract me. Please, Maggie.” she could hear her whining.
“ Sorry to ruin your fantasy, but I'm in my pyjamas. What is keeping you awake, Alex? ”
“ Oh God... Fuck... what is not keeping me awake? That would be easier to answer. Anyway, what do your pyjamas look like? ”
“ Classic leopard print, silk. Wanna talk about it? ”
“ About your silky animalier pyjamas? Sure! ”
“ You are impossible. ” Maggie shook her head but still couldn't help but smile fondly at the silly joke. “ About what is keeping you awake? ”
“ There is not much to say. ”
“ Try to say it anyway. ”
“ I just wanted to― ”
And there it was. The same insecurity in Alex's voice she witnessed a few weeks before. It made her sound so small.
“ I am not going anywhere and neither is my glass of wine. Take your time. ”
“ Don’t you miss Broadway? ”
“ You know I don't live in the middle of nowhere and we have theaters here in California too? Don't you? ”
“ You know what I mean, Maggie. ”
“ Yes. What do you think? Of course I miss it. ”
“ Have you seen anything good lately? ”
“ Oh, I've been dying to see Moulin Rouge! I've heard it's incredible. ”
It was a smart move from Alex's side to try and distract Maggie from the original topic of their conversation. She proved quite well how much she still knew her weakness and the fact that she would talk about musical theater for hours.
“ Next time you visit, maybe... ”
“ Who said I am going to visit again? ”
Alex went quiet.
“ Al, I'm joking, ” and Maggie suddenly felt the urge to reassure her, maybe at the stage they were on their brand new friendship it was too soon to tease each other like they used to. “ But why, someway, I feel that this wasn't what you wanted to ask me in the first place? ”
“ I'm throwing a party. It's fundraising for Broadway and the arts. ”
And Maggie was right.
“ This sounds gr― ”
“ And I want you here. ” she didn't let her finish.
“ Alex. ”
“ You would love it. You know that. ”
“ It seems like you really know how to please a woman. ”
She couldn't help but keep the mildly flirting going.
“ I― ”
“ You are correct! Of course I would love it. ”
“ Then be here. ”
“ It's not that easy, ” sometimes she wished it was. “ You seem to have forgotten that I live on the other side of the country now? ”
“ Please, Maggie. ”
“ Send me the details and I will check my work schedule. ” she tried to end the conversation, when she noticed how late it was getting for both of them. “ Alex, it's past 1 in the morning, you need to rest. ”
“ I have tried already but sleep will not come. ”
“ You have to try, again. ”
“ It didn't work. ”
“ I don't think I could handle your producer. What was his name? Charlie... Chip... something... anyway I don't want to deal with him blaming me for keeping America's most loved morning TV host awake. ”
“ It's Chip, and I feel he could never handle you. You would eat him alive, poor thing. ”
And she would totally have fun with it. Maybe the next time she would visit NYC...
“ I think you are probably right about that! I will leave you to sleep now. Goodnight A― ” she was about to close the phone call when Alex stopped her.
“ No, Maggie― wait... Would you― ” there was a pause “ Would you stay with me until I fall asleep? ”
“ Of course. ”
And she couldn't say not to her. She never learned how to do it.
.
Maggie Brener [11:24 am]: Hi Alex!
Maggie Brener [11:24 am]: Just got the details for your party and checked my schedule.
Me [11:24 am]: AND??
Three minutes and Alex was already impatiently waiting for a response.
Maggie Brener [11:27 am]: I guess I am going to be there.
Me [11:27 am]: Really??
Maggie Brener [11:28 am]: Yes.
Me [11:30 am]: When do you get here?
Maggie Brener [11:37 am]: My flight is booked for Thursday morning.
Maggie Brener [11:37 am]: I will be at JFK at 10:00 am
Me [11:43 am]: You're telling me I can borrow you for the night?
Maggie Brener [11:52 am]: Wait...
Maggie Brener [11:52 am]: What are you thinking about?
Me [11:52 am]: It's a surprise!
Maggie Brener [11:53 am]: Should I be worried?
Me [1:45 pm]: / picture attached /
Me [1:45 pm]: The perks of being (still) America's most loved morning TV host.
Me [1:46 pm]: I know the tickets are all sold out for the next two months but I pulled some strings.
“ Oh hi, Maggie! ”
Alex picked up her phone. She wasn't expecting Maggie to call her.
“ Alexandra Levy, you did not― ”
For a second she worried about her being mad. She knew Maggie wasn't the biggest fan of surprises but there was something in her voice that seemed to be quite the contrary to upset.
“ I guess I did. ” she couldn't help but grin.
“ You― ”
It was fun to hear Maggie being out of words for once.
“ I know. ”
“ You truly are impossible. ”
There it was again. The fondness in Maggie's voice that would make her heart still skip a beat. She shook her head trying to get those thoughts away from her mind.
“ And yet I don't hear you complaining. ”
“ I guess I can't complain anymore now. How did you manage to get tickets for Moulin Rouge? ”
“ Someone owned me a favour. ”
It wasn't exactly the truth. She had actually paid them ten times their original price but Maggie didn't have to know that.
“ Sorry, Al. I have to go know I have car waiting for me. But I guess I will see you next Thursday. ”
“ I am looking forward to it. ”